Maryvale, one of metro Phoenix's most affordable communities since the 1960s, is a hotspot for rising rents and evictions.
Rents have more than doubled in the west Phoenix community. And six of the top 11 apartment complexes for eviction filings between 2015 and March 2020 are located there, according to an Arizona Republic analysis of Maricopa County Justice Courts filings.
In Maryvale's ZIP code 85035, where four of the complexes with the most evictions are located, the typical rent has jumped 129%, from a median $634 in 2015 to $1,450 at the end of 2021, according to Zillow.
In the Maryvale ZIP 85033, where the other two-apartment properties with the most eviction filings can be found, median rents have shot up 110%, from $701 at the end of 2021 to $1,470 since 2015.
"These are teachers, health care workers and hardworking residents just trying to make ends meet," said District 7 Councilmember Yassmin Ansari, whose district includes part of Maryvale.
She said work is underway to address the affordable housing shortage in Phoenix with landlord incentives and creative solutions with American Rescue Plan dollars.
"Since the beginning of the Emergency Rental Assistance program, we have been able to provide financial assistance to 277 households in ZIP code 85035 — which amounts to a total of $2,158,207," Ansari said.
The average rent for metro Phoenix has climbed 77% to about $1,531.
All of the apartment complexes in Maryvale that made the list for the most evictions have out-of-state landlords.
Top 15 complexes for evictions before pandemic
Landlords filed to evict Phoenix-area tenants nearly 400,000 times from 2015-2021, according to an Arizona Republic analysis of Maricopa County Justice Courts filings.
The analysis also found eviction filings in metro Phoenix hit a five-year high in 2019, the year before COVID-19 hit. Research shows a pattern with evictions that started before the pandemic.
The Republic also analyzed data from Eviction Lab on the top landlords for evictions in metro Phoenix in mid-2021.
COVID-19 evictions: These metro Phoenix apartment complexes had the most
West Phoenix and West Valley renters are frequent targets of eviction. Most of the complexes with the highest tally of eviction filings in pre-pandemic years between 2015 and 2020 are in the West Valley.
The top five apartment properties on the list each filed to evict renters more than 1,000 times for various reasons between 2015 and March 2020, according to an Arizona Republic analysis of Maricopa County Justice Courts filings.
Of the 15 apartment complexes with the most evictions, six are in Maryvale.
No. 1: Del Mar Terrace Apartments
Del Mar Terrace Apartments, at 7007 W. Indian School Road in Maryvale ZIP code 85033, led the Valley for eviction filings in the five years before the COVID-19 crisis. Landlord Heers Trust of Nevada and California filed to evict tenants 1,839 times during the timeframe. This complex also had the most eviction filings during the first 18 months of the pandemic with 356, according to researcher Eviction Lab. Los Angeles-based Tide Equities LLC bought the complex for $255 million in early March 2022.
No. 2: The Cove Apartments
The Cove Apartments, also owned by Heers Trust, filed to evict 1,548 times during the pre-pandemic period tracked by The Republic. The complex, at 2545 N. 83rd Ave. in Maryvale's ZIP Code 85035, initiated 351 evictions between mid-March 2020 and August 2021, making it the No. 2. rental complex for evictions during the pandemic.
No. 3: Vaseo
Landlords at Vaseo apartments filed 1,236 eviction cases between 2015 and early 2020. The complex was owned by Klein Financial Corp. of Palo Alto, Calif., until December, when Dallas-based Invesco Real Estate paid $305 million for it. The apartments are in north Phoenix at 16220 N. Seventh St. With 188 evictions, this property ranked No. 6 for the most filings during the pandemic.
No. 4: Broadstone Desert Sky Apartments
The Broadstone Desert Sky Apartments, another Maryvale complex in ZIP code 85035, filed to evict tenants 1,084 times during the five years before COVID-19. The property at 7850 W. McDowell Road is owned by the Frankel Trust of Santa Ana, Calif.. During the pandemic, the complex didn’t rank in the top 20 for apartments with the most evictions.
Pandemic evictions: Metro Phoenix landlords still filed for almost 30,000 despite restrictions
No. 5: Motif Apartment Homes
The owner of the Motif Apartment Homes in northwest central Phoenix ranks No. 5 with 1,033 eviction filings during the five years tracked by The Republic. Owned by Cave Creek Apartments LLC, led by Weidner Investment Services of Kirkland, Wash., the complex at 2529 W. Cactus Road ranked No. 10 for the most pandemic eviction filings with 172.
No. 6: Villas De Azul Apartments
The Villas De Azul Apartments had 862 eviction filings during the five years tracked by The Republic. It’s another Maryvale rental complex, located at 2627 N. 45th Ave. in ZIP code 85035. Western Wealth Capital of Canada owns the apartments, which ranked No. 3 for the most evictions during the pandemic, according to Eviction Lab.
No. 7: Morada Rise
The Morada Rise apartments in Maryvale at 6751 W. Indian School Road in ZIP code 85033 saw 848 eviction filings between 2015 and March 2020. The complex, owned by the Arizona LLC Parkwood Apartments managed by Fred Harvey, didn’t rank in the top 20 for evictions during the pandemic.
No. 8: Verano Townhomes
Verano Townhomes, a rental complex in the Ahwatukee Foothills area of Phoenix, filed to evict tenants 823 times in the five years before COVID-19. The community, at 13820 S. 44th St. and owned by San Diego-based ColRich, didn’t rank in the top 20 for the most evictions during the pandemic.
No. 9: Palms at South Mountain Apartments
The Palms at South Mountain Apartments at 4424 E. Baseline Road in south Phoenix filed to evict tenants 796 times in the five years before the pandemic. The property, owned by Utah-based Bridge WF AZ Pointe Foothills, didn’t rank in the top 20 during the pandemic.
No. 10: Julia Apartments
The landlord of the Julia Apartments in central Mesa filed to evict tenants 789 times between 2015 and March 2020. Owned by ZMR Capital of Tampa, Fla., the apartments at 546 S. Country Club Drive ranked No. 20 for evictions during COVID-19 with 120 filings.
Other top apartment complexes for eviction rankings include:
- No. 11: Morada West: The Morada West apartments in Maryvale at 6161 W. McDowell Road in ZIP code 85035 had 735 eviction filings for the pre-pandemic years tracked. It didn’t rank in the top 20 for rental complexes with the most pandemic evictions.
- No. 12: Avana Cordoba: The Avana Cordoba complex in south Phoenix at 4520 E. Baseline Road saw 705 eviction filings between 2015 and March 2020. It didn’t rank in the top 20 for evictions during the pandemic.
- No. 13: Talise: Eviction filings totaled 690 in the east Mesa Talise apartments at 265 N. Gilbert Road during the five years before COVID-19. It didn’t rank in the top 20 for evictions during the pandemic.
- No. 14: San Martin Apartments: The San Martin Apartments in central Glendale at 6802 N. 67th Ave. had 685 eviction filings between 2015 and March 2020. It didn’t make the top 20 pandemic-era eviction list.
- No. 15: Tides on East Broadway: The Tides on East Broadway apartment complex in central Tempe at 1865 E. Broadway Road had 673 eviction filings between 2015 and March 2020. It didn’t make the top 20 pandemic-era eviction list.
Coverage of housing insecurity on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation.
Reach the reporter at Catherine.Reagor@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8040. Follow her on Twitter @Catherinereagor.
Reach the reporter at jessica.boehm@gannett.com or 480-694-1823. Follow her on Twitter @jboehm_NEWS.
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